Vise



Feb. 2, 1967 H CHRISTENSEN 3,396,604

VISE

Filed Nov. 5, 1964 43 46 44 J/VI/ENTORJ 63 N. CESTENSEN limit g I ATTORNEY 3,30,604 Patented Feb. 28, 1967 3,306,604 VISE Harry N. Christensen, 3019 Olive St., Racine, Wis. 53403 Filed Nov. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 408,509 7 Claims. (Cl. 269-240) This invention relates to a vise of the type used for holding a workpiece during machining operations in a shop.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved vise for holding a workpiece in a very secure and accurate position with respect to a tool which is operable on the workpiece.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a vise which is arranged to have its movable jaw controlled under extremely close tolerances and in an extremely accurate manner so that the jaw and the entire vise will support the workpiece in its secure position and in a specially located and accurately located position. In accomplishing these particular objects, the vise is arranged with a movable post which is accurately guided by the base member of the vise, and also a threaded control member is utilized in the displacement of the post so that the post can be accurately displaced in minute or finely adjusted positions, and also so that the post will be firmly locked or secured in any adjusted position within the range of the vise. Also included in this object is the provision for relating the movable parts of the vise in close tolerance with respect to each otherso that there is no play or lost motion between the parts.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a vise which has a movable jaw which is completely removable from the vise and is substituted for by a different jaw but with the movable jaw being readily but accurately mounted on the vise.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a vise which has provisions for adjustments such as shimming to compensate for manufacturing tolerances and for wear, and which also has wear plates or the like which can be readily replaced on the vise as necessary in accordance with the amount of wear.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a vise with a means for lubricating the internal parts of the vise without disassembling the parts.

Still another specific object of this invention is to provide a vise which operates in a vertical direction for holding the top and bottom of a workpiece so that the piece can be Worked upon by a tool moving in a vertical direction as well as in a horizontal or any other direction.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a vise incorporating a preferred embodiment of this invention and showing a workpiece in dot-dash lines.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1 and having a rear plate thereof removed for a view of the interior of the vise.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of one movable jaw useful on the vise.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2, with parts thereof broken away and showing the interior working parts of the vise.

The vise includes a base member having a jaw 11 with a surface 12 for supporting the workpiece designated 13. The base member 10 includes the lower portion 14 which has two side openings 16 for bolting the entire vise to a workbench or the like if that be desired, or of course it can be fastened to the bed of a machine tool for working on the workpiece 13 in a drilling, milling, or other operation.

A cylindrical post 17 is snugly disposed at its lower end in the base member 10, and the post 17 is axially movably mounted in the base member 10 as it is disposed in the cylindrical opening 18 extending through the member 10. A wiper 20 is also mounted on the base member 10 and it encircles the post 17 to keep dirt from entering the opening or bore 18 of the base member 10 in the up and down movement of the post 17.

A jaw 19 is removably attached by screw 21 to the top of the post 17. The jaw 19 of course has a lower surface 22 which cooperates with the surface 12 of the jaw 11 to clamp the workpiece 13 in the vise. Also a shoulder 23 is formed on the jaw 19 so that the workpiece 13 can be disposed in abutment with the shoulder 23 for precise location if desired. It will of course be understood that the upper end of the post 17 has a threaded opening designated 24 for reception of the screw 21 and the latter can of course be removed from the post 17 so that the jaw 19 can also be removed. Thus other jaws, such as the jaw 19, can be placed on the post 17 to have different configurations in the ends of the jaws.

adjacent the workpiece 13 for different machining purposes. Also, it will be noted that the post 17 has a tongue 26 on the upper end thereof, and the jaw 19 has a groove 27 on the lower surface thereof so that a tongue-andgroove relation exists between the post 17 and the jaw 19. FIG. 3 shows the lower surface of the jaw 19, and it shows the two legs or extensions .28 presented on this particular jaw so that a drill bit for instance may be lowered between the two legs 28 and onto the workpiece 13 in a drilling operation.

It will of course be understood that the post 17 is very snugly disposed within the base member 10 so that there is no tipping of the post 17 as it is guided in the large circular bore 18 extending through the height of the base member 10 as shown.

FIGS. 1 and 2 also show that the surface 12 presents a large workbed on the base member 10 so that of course the workpiece 13 could be disposed even to the side of the upper jaw 19 is desired.

A control screw 29 extends into the base member 10.

and is parallel to the post 17 and axially positioned to the post 17 in a manner hereinafter described. The screw 29 has a threaded section 31 which receives a collar 32 disposed immediately above a holddown plate 33 secured to the base member 10 on the top surface 12 by means of the screws 34. The holddown plate or member 33 has a circular lower portion 36 which is received in a circular opening 37 in the base member 10, and the screw 29 has a collar 38 integral thereon and disposed immediately below the portion 36 of the holddown member 33. With this arrangement, the screw 29 is axially fixed in the base member 10, as the holddown member 33- is affixed with respect to the base member 10 and has the collar 32 thereabove and the collar 38 therebelow, with both collars being afiixed to the screw 29.

The screw 29 is therefore rotatable in the holddown member 33 as the latter has a circular opening designated 39 for snug reception of the shank portion of the screw as shown in FIG. 4.

The lower end of the screw 29 has threads 41 which extend through a square nut 42. The latter has a stud 43 extending therefrom and into an opening 44 in the post 17. The fit between the screw threads 41 and the nut 42 is of course an accurate and close fit, and likewise the fit between the stud 43 and the post 17 is a close fit so there is no play or movement between the parts in a detrimental manner. Still further, a set screw 46 is disposed in an opening 47 in the lower end of the post 17 v to abut the stud 43 and more firmly retain the relationship between the nut 42 and the post 17 for accurate movement of the post 17 as indicated.

It will therefore be understood that rotation of the screw 29 displaces the nut 42 and its stud 43 and likewise the post 17.

The nut 42 is shown in FIG. 2 to be movable in an opening indicated 43 in the base member ltl. Likewise, an opening 49 is provided in the base member for the up and down movement of the stud 43 in response to the rotation of the screw 29. FIG. 2 shows that the nut 42 is flanked by wearplates 51 and 52 which are secured to the base member 16 by means of the screws 53. Also, shims, such as the shim 54, can be disposed between the Wearplates and the base member 16 so that the nut 42 can be accurately located for the highly accurate fit between the stud 43 and the opening 44 in the post 17. A rear cover plate 56 is removably attached to the base member 10 by means of the screws 57, and this plate is removed in the view shown in FIG. 2 so that the interior opening 48 and the parts therein can be seen.

The use of a screw 29 provides for extremely accurate movement of the nut 42, and it provides for firm movement of the nut for good clamping by the jaw 19 as desired. Also the arrangement with the wearplates 52 and the shim 54, as well as the close tolerances of the threads between the screw 29, that is the threads 41 and the threads on the nut 42, as Well as the fit between the stud 43 and the post 17 all provide for very accurate control and positioning of the post 17. Also the post 17 is of a large diameter to provide for good support in both strength and accuracy of the post 17 in the base member 10.

FIG. 4 particularly, shows how the parts can be lubricated without disassembly of the parts where lubrication is desired. Thus an opening 53 extends in the post 17 to the location of a communicating opening 59. Also a groove 61 extends around the circumference of the post 17 at the location of the opening 59. Another groove 62 extends axially along the circumference of the post 17 down to a second circumferential groove 63 on the post 17. It will therefore be understood that oil applied at the top of the post 17 in the opening 58 will flow into the groove 61 and into the grooves 62 and 63 to completely lubricate the post 17 in the base member bore 18 for the accurate movement of the post 17 as frequently referred to in this description. The oil film in the bore 18 will of course actually make the relationship between the post 17 and the bore 18 more accurate in its tolerance, and also the shim 54 will hold the nut 42 so that there can be no rocking or rotation of the post 17 about its own axis.

A crank or a wrench (neither shown) would be used to connect to the upper end of screw 29 to rotate the screw 29. Also, the screw 29 is snugly mounted by means of the member 33 and the nut 42, with the latter being retained by the snug-fitting post 17 and the wearplates 51 and 52 which plates, along with plates 54, are termed guide plates. Still further, the collar 32 provides for tight fitting of the screw 29 on the base member 10 by means of the threads 31 and a set screw 64 in the collar 32. Thus the moving parts support each other to render the unit extremely sensitive and stable.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it should be obvious that certain changes could be made in the embodiment and the invention should therefore be determined only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A vise comprising a base member, a first jaw on said base member and having a surface for supporting a workpiece, a circular post snugly mounted on said base member and being axially movable in a direction transverse to said surface, a second jaw attached to said post and having a surface faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, a screw rotatably mounted in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, and a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and slidably guided in said base member and operatively associated with said post and being slidable in said base member for axially moving said post and said second jaw.

2. A vise comprising a base member having a circular bore therein, a first jaw on said base member and having a planular surface extending transverse to the axis of said circular bore for supporting a workpiece, a circular post snugly slidably disposed in said circular bore and extending therefrom to both sides of the plane of said surface, a second jaw attached to the extending end of said post and having a surface faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, a screw rotatably mounted and axially fixed in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, and a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and snugly slidably guided in said base member and operatively associated with said post and with said nut being slidable in said base member for axially moving said post and said second jaw.

3. A vise comprising a base member having a circular bore therein, a first jaw on said base member and having a planular surface extending transverse to the axis of said circular bore for supporting a workpiece, a circular post snugly slidably disposed in said circular bore and extending therefrom to both sides of the plane of said surface and with said post having a circular opening in the portion thereof disposed in said circular bore, a second jaw attached to the extending end of said post and having a surface faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, a screw rotatably mounted and axially fixed in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, and a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and slidably guided in said base member and said nut including a circular stud snugly extending into said circular opening in said post and with said nut being slidable in said base member for axially moving said post and said second jaw.

4. A vise comprising a base member having a circular bore therein, a first jaw on said base member and having a planular surface extending transverse to the axis of said circular bore for supporting a workpiece, a circular post snugly slidably disposed in said circular bore and extending therefrom to both sides of the plane of said surface and with said post having a circular opening in the portion thereof disposed in said circular bore, a second jaw attached to the extending end of said post and having .a surface *faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, a screw rotatably mounted and axially fixed in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and having opposite sides disposed parallel to the path of movement of said nut which is snugly slidably guided in said base member and includes a circular stud snugly extending into said circular opening in said post and with said nut ibeing slidable in said base member for axially moving said post and said second jaw, and guide plates removably attached to said base member at said opposite sides of said nut for effecting adjustment of the snug fit of said nut in said base member.

5. A vise comprising a base member having a circular ho-re therein, a first jaw on said base member and having a surface transverse to the axis of said circular bore for supporting a workpiece, a circular post having one end snugly mounted in said circular bore on said base member and having the other end extending from said circular bore and with said post being axially movable in a direction transverse to said surface, a second jaw attached to said other end of said post and having a surface faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, a screw rotatably mounted in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, a collar threaded onto said screw for axially fixing the latter on said base member, and a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and slidably guided in said base member and connected to said post and said nut being slidable in said base member for axially moving said post and said second jaw.

6. A vise comprising a base member having a circular bore therein, a first jaw on said base member and having a surface transverse to the axis of said circular bore for supporting a workpiece, a circular post having one end snugly mounted in said circular bore on said base member and havin-g the other end extending from said circular bore and with said post being axially movable in a direction transverse to said surface, a second jaw attached to said other end of said post and having a surface faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, -a screw rotatably mounted in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, a collar threaded onto said screw for axially fixing the latter on said base member, a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and having opposite sides slidably guided in said base member and said nut being connected to said post and being slida'ble in said base member for axially moving said post and said second jaw, and shim plates removably attached to said base member at said opposite sides of said nut for effecting snug fit of said nut with said base member.

7. A vise comprising a base member having a circular bore therein, a first jaw on said base member and having a surface for supporting a workpiece, a circular post snugly mounted in said circular bore on said base member and extending from said circular bore and being axially movable in a direction transverse to said surface and said post having an opening therein, a second jaw removably bolted to the extending end of said post and having a surface faced toward the other said surface for supporting said workpiece, additional locking means operative between said post and said second jaw for secu-ring the latter rotatively on said post, a screw rotatably mounted in said base member and disposed parallel to said post, and a nut threadedly engaged with said screw and snugly slidably guided in said base member and extending into said opening in said post and being slidable in said base member for restraining rotation of said post and axially moving said post and said second jaw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 102,577 5/ 1870 NeWell et al 269-240 X 947,888 2/1910 Dix et a1. 269-240 X 2,374,263 4/ 1945 Askin 269-240 X WILLIAM W. DY ER, JR., Primary Examiner.

W. D. BRAY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A VISE COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER, A FIRST JAW ON SAID BASE MEMBER AND HAVING A SURFACE FOR SUPPORTING A WORKPIECE, A CIRCULAR POST SNUGLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE MEMBER AND BEING AXIALLY MOVABLE IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID SURFACE, A SECOND JAW ATTACHED TO SAID POST AND HAVING A SURFACE FACED TOWARD THE OTHER SAID SURFACE FOR SUPPORTING SAID WORKPIECE, A SCREW ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BASE MEMBER AND DISPOSED PARALLEL TO SAID POST, AND A NUT THREADEDLY ENGAGED WITH SAID SCREW AND SLIDABLY GUIDED IN SAID BASE MEMBER AND OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID POST AND BEING SLIDABLE IN SAID BASE MEMBER FOR AXIALLY MOVING SAID POST AND SAID SECOND JAW. 